Has the National Book Award been corrupted by politics?
The Award committee has just shortlisted as a finalist Nancy MacLean's Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America, an expose of the Koch Brothers' plot to undermine democracy. The book is well written and a fast read. It tells a story that is heartening to those who fear the Kochs' growing power. It is, however, full of errors and distortions, which have already been extensively documented. The selection, in the face of these notorious problems, raises uncomfortable questions about what the committee is thinking.
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